


L'ange et le Monstre

by Moonlitgems



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Beauty and the Beast Fusion, Angel!Armin, Angel!Jean, Angels, Curses, Dark fairytales, Dramatic pasts, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Empath!Armin, Ermin-endgame, Fallen Angels, Falling In Love, Fantasy Creatures, Fluff, Forbidden Love, Graphic Violence, Heartbreak, Horror aspects, Hurt/Comfort, Imprisonment, Inspired by Beauty and the Beast, Loosely based on Belle et le Monstre, Lovers To Enemies, M/M, Mild Language, Mindreader!Mikasa, Out of character at times, Slight religious overtones, Slow Burn, Storyteller!Armin, Titan!Eren, Tragic Pasts, True love themes, With A Twist, learning to love, love to hate, monster!eren, mythological creatures, supernatural themes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-21
Updated: 2018-07-20
Packaged: 2018-10-08 09:00:06
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 18,538
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10383084
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Moonlitgems/pseuds/Moonlitgems
Summary: His job was to save the ones who were abandoned by God. He was the Angel that was always sent to the cursed, the tormented. The best one for the job, they said. So, this new mission was nothing unusual. It was the same old report. A forsaken, cursed, village. A monster preying upon it's people. All of this was normal. All of it easily taken care of. It all was routine. Enyet, within this village, he may just have found the one person, who can't be saved...Himself.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> "L'ange et le Monstre" means "The Angel and the Monster" in French. It's a play off of 'La Belle et la Bête' (the beauty and the beast).

# Prologue

* * *

_IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A SIMPLE MISSION..._

With the sun shining down on them, through the shade of their hiding place, tickling their bare skin, they laid entangled in one another. To him it was a perfect moment. Gentle, calloused, hands caressed the back of his head as lips brushed against his own for what seemed like t thousandth time. It made him feel safe, warm, and loved, everything he always wanted as a young being. It was in everything that they were doing. The Fingers intertwined with his honey locks, as though he'd pull away from the gentle embrace, the way their bodies were close but not touching.

Never it all of Armin's life had he felt the way he did when he was with this man. It made happiness fill him when they touched or even looked at one another. Their kisses so sickly sweet that his chest felt heavy while his heart hammered against his chest, looking for an escape. A tongue danced across his lips causing him to pull away, knowing that they'd just start to make out and then he'd be late for his departure.

"No more," he practically moaned as his companion went to kiss him once again. "My heart'll stop, if we keep going." It was partially in jest.

Though, with the way his heart rate was steadily rising, it may actually have stopped with the next kiss they shared. With that, a laugh that escaped the lips of his lover he felt lips come to his temple, making him take a shuddered breath. Those calloused hands came to his cheeks, tilting his head slightly so they could look each other in the eyes. Those warm cloudy eyes that stared straight through him.

“What's wrong with a little death,” He whispered in a teasing tone that made him want to squeal.

“Oh my god, you didn't.” Shoving him playfully away, he thought how this was the person he fell in love with.

And what wasn't there to love about the angel named Jean. He was strong, a warrior and solider far beyond his own experiences. Crafty, always creating special trinkets for their brethren. Many of them love him for these things. Armin was just one of his many admirers. The only difference is that Jean chose him. To be able to bask in his affection was a blessing and dangerous gift, though. Their current actions were extremely forbidden, after all.

In Paradis, the home of the angels, romance or any sort of feeling beyond kinship was forbidden, punishable by death. Still, one cannot control how the heart feels and when he fell in love with Jean, he couldn't keep it from his fellow angel. Risking death, he told the other of his feelings and in a strange twist of fate, Jean returned Armin's feelings. Choosing to take the risk of sharing a forbidden romance with him, over the constant longing that had filled them before.

"You'll be gone for so long," Jean whispered his lips brushing against the expose skin, pleasantly. "I need all my morning and evening kisses, so I won't get lonely," He added, causing Armin to snort in amusement.

"Jean," He said with a roll of his eyes. It was so cheesy of him to say.

"Armin," He countered with a playful smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. "I really will miss you. Six months is a long time to be away," He said so warmly and sadly that it made Armin's heart melt at the sound.

_I'D BEEN ON MANY MISSIONS JUST LIKE THIS BEFORE, BUT-_

"Fine~" He sighed, letting the others capture his lips. They rolled their lips over one another, the innocent kiss quickly becoming much more than a 'good morning' or 'good night' kiss.

"I love you," Jean breathed out, giving Armin's lips another quick peck.

"I love you, too," Armin said, smiling because he felt like an idiot with how his brain was refusing to function properly. “So much so,” He added sitting up and looking to the sky, knowing it was almost time for him to go.

The wish that he didn't have to go on this mission bubbled up inside of him. If he could just stay here with Jean for the rest of eternity, he'd be perfectly happy. But, he had a job to do and there was a curse to be broken. "I have to go now," He said feeling Jean's arms wrap around him.

"Just a bit longer. Just the two of us," He whispered, face buried in Armin's shoulder.

"I can't," Armin said, taking Jean's hand, but not moving from the embrace.

They both knew that six months is just a blink of an eye from Angels, but for them it would be much longer than a humans. They would be so lonely, they always were. Armin wanted so badly to either stay or have Jean come with him. Neither of which, was allowed or possible.

"You know how Levi is about punctuality." Despite his protests, they stayed that way for a moment longer until they finally parted. Heaving out a deep sigh, Armin stood to leave, if he didn't hurry he would be late and the Archangels would be very upset him. “I'll see you,” He whispered moving to walk away but a hand on his wrist stopped him. "Jean?" Looking down at his lover, watching as he stood, he was curious as to why he'd been stopped. Jean simply picked up his back and pulled out a silver mirror.

"Here." Holding it out, Jean looked as though he was begging him not to go. "An enchanted mirror. It's so we can keep in contact," He said with a weak smile.

“I-” Armin went to refuse, knowing that those sorts of things were forbidden to leave Paradis's land. Anyone caught with one on their possession outside of the Island would be punished. It was like a two-way communication device for the people of Paradis. They would be breaking another rule, adding to their punishments, if Armin took this.

“I've heard that this mission would be dangerous, that you sometimes lose contact with HQ in that area, so, take this, just in case. I know it's breaking a rule,” He said quickly somewhat flustered as though he read Armin's mind. “But this one only connects to mine,” He said softly, holding up an exact replica of Armin's mirror. “I made them specifically for talking to you,” He added, that weak smile forming on his lips. “Just call out my name and I'll answer you, Armin,” He said taking a hold of Armin's hands, holding their mirrors tightly together.

“Likewise,” Armin said, jumping forward to kiss his lover on the lips, one last time before they'd parted.

"Come back to me safely, Armin," Jean whispered, not bothering to remove his lips from Armin's, arms wrapping around him again as though he couldn't help himself. "If anything happens to you, I won't ever forgive myself for letting them send you alone." The way he said that made it obvious that Jean had fought to come with him. He knew that his lover had. With the brains and skills Jean had to offer, he was surprised that they had refused his request to be put on this task.

"I will be fine," Armin reassured him, knowing how afraid he was of losing another person he'd loved. "Wait for me?" It came out, as a question, but he knew the answer as they separated once again.

_THIS TIME IT WAS DIFFERENT,_

"Always." There was no hesitation in his eyes or in his voice as he stared down at Armin with nothing but love and sadness. They said their goodbyes and kissed. Said goodbye again and hugged. It repeated until they both ended up having to part ways to get to their positions before the time of their arrivals.

The trek from their rendezvous point took a bit longer than he had expected. By the time he made it to the gates, he'd gone from a fast walk to a mad dash to arrive on time.

There were three gates in Paradis. Sheena, Rose, and Maria. Each of them lead to a different part of the world below. This would be the first time he stepped foot out of the Maria gate. And while, he would miss Jean greatly, he couldn't stop the feeling of excitement bubbling up beneath the sadness.

"You're late," A voice snapped as he stopped at the gate. Quickly, he about faced to see three Archangel standing before him.

The one who spoke to him was Archangel, Levi. He stood before him, eyes harsh and distant. It was obvious that he was annoyed by Armin's tardiness, but there was something else in his tone. Something Armin couldn't quite figure out.

It was a skill of his, reading people, not that he has ever told anyone about it. It helped him with his daily duties and his missions. It wasn't something he was proud of, people's emotions are sometimes personal. Especially, in Paradis. He wouldn't have wanted someone to see his feelings for Jean. Or vise versa.

"Forgive me, Archangel Levi, sir," Armin said, making a salute, a fist over his heart while the other arm was tucked behind his back. "I underestimated the amount of time it'd take to arrive here from my home," He said, knowing an excuse wasn't needed but it spilled out anyway.

"Sure, you did," Levi scoffed as one of the other two nudged him out of the way

"Give him a break, Levi, he was only a minute or two late," They said a tired look in their normally excited and wild chocolate colored eyes.

It wasn't strange for Archangel Hanji to be tired. They were always in their lab with some sort of New experiment going on. It was always the talk of Paradis, when they had a successful one. But today the exhaustion in their eyes seemed much more, only they were doing a better job at concealing their feelings.

"Have you read over your specs," Archangel Hanji said, turning to Armin with a bright smile despite what Armin saw within her.

"Yes, sir," Armin said, pushing his worries away. "I memorized every page," He added, looking at the third being. Archangel Mike. A normally silent Archangel, whose gaze was cast away from him toward the small group of lower rank angels watching his departure.

_THIS MISSION WOULD CHANGE EVERYTHING I BELIEVED ABOUT THE WORLD._

Armin let his eyes drift over to the five or six people watching them. Some waved when they saw him look, others stayed flat faced with knowing looks. What they knew, he wasn't sure, but he didn't have time to go ask because Archangel Hanji gave him a small nudge to be gin heading into the gate: Maria.

"As it was said, you will have six months to complete this mission. If you finish it ahead of schedule, return, obviously. But, we'll retrieve you at the end of this period." Levi spoke as they walked toward the doors of the gate. "Understood?"

"Yes, sir," He said with a nod in affirmation.

"Don't trip on your way down, Armin! Connie's face is still healing from hitting the ground, the last time he left," He heard Jean 's voice shout, playfully. His comrades laughed at the misfortune of one of their brothers but Armin knew it was Jean telling him to watch his step. He simply looked to them with a small smile, letting his eyes linger where Jean stood staring back at him with worry written all over his smiling face.

I'll come back, he thought smiling wider at Jean, hoping to convey this to him as he entered the shadowy doors of the gate.

_I HAD YET TO REALIZE THE TRUTH._

On the edges of Paradis, where the gate ends, stood a large platform, much like in the other gates. Knowing what to do, he stepped up to the platform.

"Armin," Hanji spoke as he went to step onto the podium. He turned back to them, something felt off about the three of them. There was something they obviously wanted to say to him. Except no one spoke. It was a bit worrisome, but before he could ask them if there was something wrong, Levi slapped his back.

"Don't get yourself killed," He said harshly but it was like he was trying to encourage him, or something. Armin wasn't sure. Either way, he nodded fiercely as a response.

"I will do my best not to, sir," He said, with a serious look, hoping that it would ease the feelings that were raging within his superiors.

With a slight nod of Levi's head, Armin turned to look at the ledge that would lead to the world outside of Paradis. Excitement filled him, as it always did, the world outside of Paradis was far from free, but it was a world full of new things he'd never experienced before. He glanced back at the Archangels, watching him leave and felt their sorrow once more. His eyes met briefly with Archangel Hanji and swore he saw them mouth 'I'm so sorry' to him.

Without the time to wonder why Hanji would apologize, he turned his head and stepped off the ledge and into the human world. The feeling of the wind rushing through him always sent his heart racing with excitement. It was secretly his favorite part of going on missions. There was just something about the feeling of falling that made his stomach jitter from the weightlessness, that he enjoyed. Laughter bubbled out of his lips as he spun around letting his wings keep him from plummeting to death. By the time he landed on the ground, he had gotten enough of it out of his system, so travelers that he happened upon would think he'd gone mad.

Smiling to himself, he folded his wings away and glanced to his side where a bag and muzzle loader sat waiting for his arrival. It all would be needed for his cover. His identity as a Paradissian was strictly a secret. Humans only believed they existed, that didn't meant that they'd take well to actually meeting one.

“Time to get to the village and find lodging,” He sighed, slinging the bag over his shoulder, pressing his hand where Jean's mirror was. “The sooner this is done, the sooner I go home.” He just wanted to get this mission over with and return to his lover as fast as possible.

_AND MAYBE, THAT WAS WHY IT ENDED UP THE WAY IT DID._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so there was more JeanxArmin. In this first chapter but it's be a slow burn for the end game. I hope you enjoy this prologue!


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! I just wanted to let you know that I am posting the translations of the chapter titles at the end of each chapter! Enjoy!

# La Femme Asiatique

* * *

As Armin approached the village territory, he felt as though he was suddenly being watched. It was a strange, but not unfamiliar sensation. The walls of Paradis always seemed to be watching them. Because of that it was always so difficult to meet with Jean outside of their work and it not be suspicious. Even in their own home they feared that they were being watched.

But here. It was different. There wasn't a sense of danger or even the looming sense of authority. More it was an aura of curiosity. It was tickling his own but he didn't stop, whatever was watching him would just have to show it's self because he was not going to hunt it down at this particular moment. Getting to the village was much more important to him at the moment. The sooner he started gathering information, the better.

Coming up to the border of the village territory, he caught sight of two trees that stretched across the beaten path. They stood together, one on each side of the path, rising up and intertwining with one another like vines. If he see the leaves and flowers blooming on them. It was quite a welcoming site, the woods had seemed a bit dreary because of the early spring weather.

“What the-”

The closer he got the clearer the trees strange position was. They seemed to be curved and leaning toward one another. The bark twisting as though the trees had turned themselves. But what amazed him the most was the strange markings that were etched into he bark. It was a strange language. One he'd never seen before. The way the symbols curved in an organic way, but they had a geometric feel to them at the same time. The longer he stared at the letters the more interesting they seemed to be.

“How interesting,” He muttered, tilting his straw hat up to look at the trees. Pulling out his notebook to jot down notes about what he's seen. It was really difficult to attempt to draw the symbols but he wanted to have it for future reference. He began drawing the two trees and detailing how they were holding each other and was reminded of a human tale from the northern region. After a moment he closed his book, planning to come back for a more detailed sketch later. "I bet you two loved each other even in death," He said making a reference to the story, while closing the book.

"They did and still do." A voice said softly causing a chill to run up Armin's spine. While he wasn't paying attention the presence he'd sensed had decided to approach him.

There was a soft hum in the air as he turned to look at a the source of the voice. A young woman with long flowing black hair, shocking Armin with her looks, stood in front of him. She seemed to be very out of place for the region they were in. A woman of Asian decent was not a common site in this region. The two regions barely knew of one anothers' existences, in fact. Still, she was stunning, Armin would even say beautiful. Dark hair and eyes with a porcelain complexion made a nice contrast, especially with the red scarf she wore to cover her soft looking lips from the chill of the air. The two stared at each other for a moment, as though they were examining one another for.

“Good day,” He said smiling politely, not wanting to make her uncomfortable, while he stepped aside so she could walk down the path if she wished. She did not continue down the path, instead she stood there with her eyes on him.

"Hello," She says quietly, pulling her hood over her head, hiding her face in the shadows. Realizing she'd noticed him staring he lowered his eyes to the ground.

“I'm sorry, I didn't mean to stare,” He said, quickly, sensing the discomfort in her posture. “You are very pretty.” He felt stupid for not having anything better to say to comfort her, after he'd been so rude.

He thought about Jean and how well he would have dealt with something like this. Again the wish that his partner was allowed to come with him on the mission. This would be a lot less awkward if he had some back up.

“Thank you,” She said with amusement in her voice and with a slight shift of her weight she moved closer to him. “May I ask, why have you come to this village?" It was asked in a flat tone but there was no malice in her voice. She just wanted to know why he came to the far out of the way village. It was an easy question to answer, but he still didn't quite know how to answer it.

Armin knew his cover was supposed to be a 'bounty hunter', but it made no sense. He was hardly fit enough to be a 'hunter'. And it was so unlike him and unlike his personality. They'd just laugh in his face, if he went with it, so he decided to come up with a story that suited him. Though, he hadn't the faintest idea of what this young women would believe. He would just have to wing it.

“Pardon me, I should introduce myself. I'm Armin Arlert-a novelist by trade.” He spoke after he looked down his book. It would make more sense than his assigned cover and he did have many stories form past missions in his book that seemed straight out of fairy tales. “I am traveling around looking into legends around our lands to compile into one book,” He said, slipping his book into his bag. The two stared at one another for a moment. Armin was about to say more, just to try and make it more believable, but the woman let out a huff that seemed like a laugh.

“That's a new one,” She said dryly, but she held out her hand to Armin. “My name's Mikasa Ackerman,” She said with a polite smile. Armin quickly took her hand and shook it properly.

“Pleasure to meet you.” As he spoke she seemed to tighten her hold on his hand before letting go, confusing Armin. A part of him wondered why she had tightened her grasp, but he figured it would be rude to ask as she seemed to have retracted back into her hood and scarf.

“So, you're a novelist. We usually only get hunters and people who want to kill the 'Monster' for the reward, Lord Riess had put out,” She said with a slight cool tone. “It's quite bothersome and not the type of attention we want in our small village. It's interesting to have someone New come to the village." Her words sounded strange to his ears.

The fact that she would bring up the 'Hunters' meant that she didn't quite believe him about his quick witted cover story. He probably should have just gone with the story given to him by his superiors. It was too late now, though, so he would just have to convince her of it. Or just go with the flow of things, whichever it all lead to.

"I see,” He said feeling uncomfortable about the situation, wanting to continue on into the village to find lodging. “Is there by a chance an Inn, where I may check into?” It was best that he changed the subject, he didn't want her to start asking him questions, which he did not have the answer to.

“Fraid not. Our village is much too small and outside of the beaten path to be able to maintain such a luxury, I'm afraid. But, if you would like, you may stay in my home,” She said crossing her arms and glancing over her shoulder, looking at something off in the distance. “I have extra rooms,” she added turning back to face him. “If you're interested.”

“Oh, I couldn't ask you to do that!” He'd rather camp out in the woods for the next six months than burden someone with his presence.

“Please, it won't be a bother, Armin,” She reassured him but he still did not feel comfortable with staying in the woman's home. For one it was strange that she would offer a stranger a room. Wouldn't her husband be angry that she invited him to stay.

Well, He thought, if she didn't have a husband then that wasn't going to be the problem. He wanted to politely refuse her.

“I live alone in a fairly large cabin, so, I usually house the visitors of our village. "Besides, it's a days walk to the nearest town with lodging, and you should not camp out in these woods alone. It's dangerous, I mean, you are here because of the legends, so you know about the disappearances and deaths." She added like she was reading his mind and Armin wanted to cringe.

“I-If you insist, um, how much shall I pay you for the housing,” He said knowing that he would have been alright with camping out, even with all the deaths recorded, but not wanting to be rude and refuse her kindness and worry.

“It will be of no charge.”

“That won't do,” He said, quickly before she could react he continued. “I cannot stay in your home without paying you.” He made sure to make his voice firm. He didn't distrust this person. She was kind and his senses were telling him good in nature, so he would not take advantage of her. “And I won't budge on that.”

“Fine then, we can discuss that at my residence," She said after they had a brief stare down. Then she began to walk, motioning for Armin to follow her. He went along, keeping his pace just a few steps behind her.

The village could be seen now as the tree line slowly faded away, giving away to grassy fields of wild wheat and tall grass. It was a bit breath taking to see and Armin felt the urge to sit down right there and draw the scene out. Though, Mikasa probably would not want to wait. She did seem to slow her pace a bit, letting Armin take the seen in.

"It's a very beautiful place." He said quietly and Mikasa looked at him over her shoulder.

"How so," She said with her head tilted in curiosity.

"It's just beautiful," Armin said, not wanting to go in to the dramatic details as to why he thought it was. He wasn't even sure he could begin to explain it. It was just beautiful. Mikasa didn't try to force an answer out of him, instead, she just hummed and stared at the town a head of them.

The town was more of a cluster of buildings with several other houses scattered about the surrounding area. There was what looked like a like a church in the center of the town. Other than that he couldn't tell heads or tails of what each building in the center was for. For the most part, they stayed on the outskirts of the village, going on to a path which lead toward the woods. It made him slightly curious as to why her home was in the forest but he did not vocalize his thoughts.

It only took them a few more minutes and Armin could see what looked like a large log cabin. It had to be several decades old. The stain on it's shutters was almost completely worn away and you could see the way the putter walls had been worn by the weather. The porch creaked as they stepped up on to it. It was more than he expected. And a bit too large for one person to be living alone in. The size of the house made him wonder if she had once lived with someone in this cabin. Though his pondering were interrupted by a click of Mikasa's tongue.

“This is the place,” She said dryly as she unlocked and opened the door. “Make yourself at home,” She added walking in with out so much as a glance at him.

“Thank you,” He said with a smile as he entered the house, shutting door behind him.

He slipped his gun off of his shoulder, setting it beside the door. Once he set his hat down on the butt of the gun he turned to look at Mikasa, who was staring at him looking vaguely surprised.

Though, he couldn't understand why. It was only polite to disarm yourself when entering someone's home. Unless she hadn't realized he was armed.

“You really are here just to gather research material,” She said, turning her eyes away from him.

“Of course, I am. Do I look like I could take on a monster?” He meant it as a joke because he knew he'd be no match in a fight. He just didn't like the look on Mikasa's face. Like he was out to do her harm. He had no intention of hurting her. “Still, it is a dangerous world we live in, even without mythical beasts and tales of evil curses. The scariest of monsters share the same face as you and I.” As he spoke, he noted Mikasa's face softening. He wondered what sort of thought crossed her mind, but she motioned him to one of the three doors before him.

“Here's your room,” She said quietly as she opened the door. Armin quickly crossed the open space and stood beside her to gaze into the room.

"Thank you, again." He stepped in with a smile. He turned to ask her a question but she'd gone off and entered the room across the hall. He just shrugged and went over to he bed setting down his bag, keeping his satchel close to his side. “It's such a quaint place,” He sighed smiling at the small bed and night stand. Just the bare necessities was all there was in the room but Armin had never seen a better kept human domain.

He loved it. It was so different than their cookie cutter homes in Paradis. The boring houses where their only uniqueness was the object the angels used for their works. It was something he hated and tended to secretly dress his home in flowers and rocks. As we'll as some things he'd taken from the mortal world. The thought of his secret collection made him smile and wonder just what he could bring back from this mission. Maybe he could even sneak something back for Jean. Armin wondered if the Angel would be happy or upset, if he did that.

The thought of Jean caused a bit of loneliness to fill him. It was silly to be filled with such longing. If he hadn't gotten used to this feeling, he'd probably be frightened that something was wrong with him. Six months was just a eye blink in Angel time and he knew it. He couldn't imagine when he'd become so dependent on another.

That won't do at all, he thought swallowing his loneliness. He wasn't just going to mope about. The only thing he could do was jump head first into his work and complete it as thoroughly as possible. Not only would it prove his independence but he'd get to go home.

With that thought in mind, he stood. The plan was to find out as much as he could about the village and the 'legends', which stemmed from the curse.

“Are you settled in already,” Mikasa said, appearing from the room from across the hall.

She no longer wore the cloak but a simple brown and tan dress, with a crimson colored shall over top of it. She'd obviously changed while he was sitting in the room. Maybe it was because, she'd been wearing pants, something which was frowned upon in this regions society. Either way, he didn't mind, what she wore.

“Yes.” He spoke moving over to where his gun set, resting by the door. “I think I may take a wander through the village, if that's alright,” He said, grabbing the hat, he'd set on the bottom of the gun.

“I can give you a tour, if you like.” Mikasa spoke watching as he adjusted the hat to fit properly on his head. Once it was properly on his head he turned to her ready to decline.

“Oh, I don't want to trouble you any further, Ma'am,” He said, not wanting to burden her, but at the same time he wouldn't have mind it, less he get lost on the way back to the cabin. He went to ask her if she would walk with him, but she was already opening the door with a gentle smile.

“Shall we?” She said, despite Armin never agreeing with her accompaniment. He could only nod though, silently enjoying the strange woman's company for the moment.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "La Femme Asiatique" means 'The Asian Woman'. If you think that the title is insulting, I apologize but this was most appropriate considering that the chapter introduces Mikasa. The only Asian character in Attack on Titan. (As far as I am aware, at least, I've only read up to volume 20, so far.)
> 
> FUN FACT: The folktale Armin refers to when speaking to the trees was the tale called 'Deirdre Of Sorrow', one of my favorite Celtic folktales.


	3. Chapter 3

# La Légende Du Village

* * *

 

There couldn't be anymore than a hundred people living in this village, Armin decided, as they walked through main part of town. It being mid-day, a few people were strewn about, while the young children ran a mock down the beaten paths. Armin had laughed as they flew past them, feeling their absolute excitement and wild enjoyment. It was something you didn't see in Paradis. Most of the children we're being trained on the jobs they were born to do. It always made him feel happy that the humans had yet to do this. A child should be able to enjoy their time as a child.

They continued onward, Mikasa pointing out the people she knew, waving if the person noticed them. A few of them came over to introduce themselves but most just continued on their way. It was a bit unnerving, considering the ones that would leave had a negative aura about them.

"Another one came," He caught a voice say as two women passed by him. "How can they just cast their own people aside like this." They continued with a click of their tongue.

"Yeah, just how many more are they going to burden US with," The other said with a slight huff, obviously annoyed by something as she glanced at Armin, who'd followed them with his eyes.

When they then caught Armin's gaze, there was obvious panic in their eyes. They quickly bowed their head to him before running off. Armin just stared on, wondering what on earth they'd meant. Turning to Mikasa, he wondered if she knew the answer to it, but all she did was lower her gaze and keep walking. He didn't ask her, keeping the thought in the back of his mind to ponder later.

They all watched him, he noticed this now as they passed. They all had their eyes on him and Mikasa as they passed. Some looked on in mild curiosity; some in sadness; and even some in fear. It made him wonder just what the curse on this village could be. How many people in the village knew about it and was it really a monster, as the human Legend said, or could it be something more to do with the village itself.

The ancient markings at those trees came to mind and he began to wonder if they may have something to do with it. He marked in his book to look deeper into the history of the village. There was no stone that could be left un-turned. Whatever was causing the curse had to be corrected. Especially, when people seemed so fearful, just by the site of a stranger.

The thought of the curse being something bigger than he first thought filled him with a bit of dread. He worried he hadn't brought enough equipment. If what he had with him wasn't enough, he'd fail his mission. That was not an option. The hasn't been a mission he was on that was a failure. This mission was not going to be his first.

“Would you like me to tell you some of the stories that are told in this village?" Mikasa spoke when they stopped to rest outside the church at the center of the town. "We can go to the places and I can tell you their stories."

“I'd love to hear them,” Armin said feeling a bit more relaxed now that Mikasa seemed to have spoken up to dispel the silence between them.

"What stories are you telling 'kasa," A voice called out from the church. Armin looked up to see a beautiful woman hanging out of the window. Long flaxen hair that reminded him of the wheat fields that he'd admired when he'd first arrived.

"Krista," Mikasa greeted her as Armin continued to stare at the woman's clear eyes. "This is Armin. He's my new guest." Mikasa had said his name before he could introduce himself and the woman seemed to radiate light. The only weird thing was. He couldn't tell how she felt. It was like her emotions were masked in a haze. Or she was good at blocking people out of her mind.

"Hi, I'm Krista, I run the church," She said with a polite smile.

"I was about to tell Armin the legend on how the church was founded." Krista's eyes flickered to Mikasa and then back to Armin, excitement clear in her eyes.

"Oh, may I tell it." Before Mikasa could answer she was already climbing out the window to stand between them. Arming turned his eyes away, when he saw the blood red skirt. "May I," She said sounding excited by the prospects of a story time as She sat between the two.

"Of course, it is your story, after all." Miaksa said with a roll of her eyes. Kirsta seemed pleased about the approval as she sat down in front of them.

She then began to tell him a strange tale of a human Lord praying for a child and how God blessed him with a set of twins that fell from the sky. It was an amusing story, to say the least, but it wasn't what he was looking for. Even if it was true, the story was too clean to be all truth.

"That is a very magical story," He said deciding to be polite. It was quite the enjoyable story, after all, and she meant to entertain him, with how excited she'd been during some parts.

"It's not quite historically accurate, but it's a story to tell the kids at bed time. You know," Mikasa said with a huff of amusement.

"Yeah, it is, but it's a popular story." Krista countered causing Armin to laugh. "Oh, Mikasa, while you're here, Historia wanted to speak to you," Krista said smiling happily, while clapping her hands together.

"I'll head in, then," She said looking at Armin. "Armin, would you wait out here for a bit?" She continued, standing up from her spot on the ground.

"My sister is a very sickly woman. And she doesn't take well to strangers," Krista explained softly and Armin simply nodded and leaned back against the wall.

"No, I don't mind waiting," Armin said watching the girls glance at each other. He wondered if they were confused as to why he was okay with it.

"Thank you. I will just be a moment," Mikasa said with a small sigh.

With that Armin was left alone outside of the church. He simply kept himself busy by rereading the notes he wrote down about the story Krista had told him. A curious gaze drew him out of his book but as he scanned the area there was no one looking at him. It wasn't anyone he'd seen, they still had the worry and fear that he'd sensed earlier. It was more like the gaze he'd felt out in the woods. An urge to seek out that stare itched across his skin. But he could all but get to his feet before he heard Mikasa call out to him.

"Sorry about that," She said causing him to turn away from the direction of the gaze to face her and Krista.

"Oh, it's quite alright," Armin said smiling at the two of them. The feeling of that gaze disappeared as he spoke.

"We should keep going, it'll be dark soon." She said taking a look at the area around them.

"Okay. It was nice meeting you, Krista," Armin said with a small bow. She just giggled and slapped his back.

"Feel free to stop by the church anytime!" was her response as she then turned and reentered the church.

"I think she liked you," Mikasa said in amusement but Armin felt a little unsettled by that.

"That's good, right?" Whether that actually was or not wouldn't hurt his feelings. He was only here temporarily, they wouldn't even remember him once he was gone. No one he'd met before ever did.

"Very," Mikasa said smiling slightly, but it was obviously forced. "Krista and Historia are like royalty here in the village." She said softly. "While their is hardly ever a person they dislike, it's much harder to find someone they both like. If they don't like you then no one does." Well, that was information that Armin would have to store in his mind. The last thing he wanted was to get on the whole village's bad side.

The two spent the afternoon with Mikasa showing him places around town, that had to do with the legends, telling Armin random facts she knew. She, herself, was quite fond of a particular legend and told him the tale as they went about. This one was actually quite an interesting story, peeking Armin's interest greatly.

According to Mikasa, about 100 years ago, a human-like creature with glowing green eyes appeared in the village one day, covered in blood and screaming in sheer agony. The villagers fled in fear at the site of the beast and only an orphaned child, living as an outcast in the woods, came to it's aid. Despite her fear, the legend said she healed the wounds of the beast and so grateful was it to her, it bless her with the one thing she truly desired. A family. He'd become her family, loving her and her strange appearance. In return she loved him as well, protecting him from frightened villagers.

But one day, traffickers came to the village, killing the men and enslaving the women and young children. The orphan child was one of those captured and when the monster found out, that it's savior and family had been taken, it chased down the men, killing them all and returning the people to their village. It's been the protector of the village since and any traveler that comes here with ill-intent is said to hear the victorious roar of the Monster before disappearing.

In Armin's opinion, that in and of it's self was a wonderful story, but, he wondered how such a beast came to be in the first place. If it's using it's strength to protect the village, would it want to be free from whatever curse it may be under. Was it even under a curse to begin with? And why did the Lord of this land have a price on the Monsters head, if it was protecting the village. Overall, was there more to this story? It was something he wanted to look into.

So many thoughts and questions floated into his head. He hadn't been paying any attention and tripped on a stone in the road causing to stumble over himself, ultimately finding himself face first on the ground.

“Are you alright,” Mikasa said quickly kneeling down beside him, worry etched onto her face. He looked up to tell her it was okay but movement caught his eyes. He glanced over to the direction the movement was from.

What he saw puzzled his mind. It looked like a human at first but it was much too tall at least eight or nine feet tall. And it was very much naked. Well tanned skin glistened in the sun's light as though it were sweating. The creatures eyes watched him like a cat and it's prey. There was amusement within those deep eyes. Amusement so clear it was obvious as to why.

Was it laughing at him, he though, his body tense, suddenly feeling offended by it. It was something he should have been frightened of seeing, but that strange sneer and sensing it's amusement pissed him off. It couldn't even walk down the path with out hitting it's head off branches. So, how dare it laugh at him for tripping. The more he stared at the creature the more offended he became, it was like the beast was stirring rage within him. He wanted to go over there and smack that grin right off it's face.

"Armin," Mikasa said putting hand on his shoulder, moving so he could no longer see the beast. And just like that, the anger was gone. It was lightly baffling. He was known for being very mellow. He prided himself on the fact he never lost his temper. So, to suddenly feel like that. It was strange.

"I'm fine,” He said, knowing that could have possibly been the creature that was in the reports. Though, it's aura seemed much too human to be a monster. His glaze floated back to where the creature had been with that thought, but it was already gone.

"Are you sure? You hit pretty hard, didn't you," She said looking at his hands that were riddled with dirt. There was no blood though. Armin had luckily not bloodied himself. It would have been hard to explain to her when they healed in front of her eyes. That didn't seem to lessen the look in her eyes as she scanned the area around them.

"Yeah, I'm pretty durable." Which was true. The worst injury he'd ever sustained was almost getting burnt to death. Now that was something he really didn't want to relive. Compared to that a little fall was nothing. "I just thought I saw something in the woods." He said with shrug, not specifying what he saw. The last thing he wanted was for her to think he as crazy.

"What? Maybe we should return now. I'm sure you're tired." Her eyes we're scanning the area around them as we'll now.

"If you'd like," He said politely, wiping his hands onto his pants. She didn't ask him about what he saw, surprisingly. He didn't think too much about it, though, as the two headed back up the path to head back to Mikasa's cabin.

If he'd ask Mikasa about it, there's a change she'd brush it off. At least, that's what his gut was telling him. There was just something about her expression that. Told him she would. So, he kept it to himself. They returned to Mikasa's home with Armin keeping his eyes out for that creature he'd seen with mild curiosity. If that was the monster his mission specs, which it had to be, why did it show itself to Armin in the day time.

The reports showed that it was mainly nocturnal. So, he would have to enter the woods at night to catch site of it. To see something like that in the day time, while possible, was supposed to be unlikely. Armin wanted to look more into what he could find in the day time before he started going out at night. So, if he saw it once, then he could very well see it again.

When they arrived at Mikasa's home, she went right to work preparing a meal, making Armin sit down, telling him she could do it alone. He had insisted to help but ultimately gave in after a look from Mikasa that seemed to threaten him into submitting.

They had dinner, as per Mikasa's demand. He'd only eaten with her because she'd basically forced a bowl into his hands. It wasn't unusual for humans to offer him food when he stayed with them, but he always felt horrible for it. He was not human, he did not need to eat as often as they do. It's just a waste to feed him, at least, that's what be believed.

They'd eaten in mostly silence, though, there seemed to be something on Mikasa's mind. Sadly, Armin couldn't find the right words to address what he assumed was an important issue. When they did begin to speak, it was only to come to an agreement about how much Armin was going to pay her. She kept refusing payment and Armin kept persuading her that it wasn't right for him to take advantage of her like that. They kept circling around and around one another before Mikasa gave in to Armin's offer. She was obviously amused and a bit annoyed by his persistence but Armin was satisfied that they could come to an agreement.

As the evening went on Armin helped Mikasa clean up after their supper, despite her discomfort about it. Then he'd sat by the fire, sketching out some of the things he'd seen through out the day. Mainly, though, he drew a picture of Mikasa sitting by the window as she stared out it into the darkness. The light of the dying fire silhouetted her face and lit up her hair in an amber glow, which created a mysterious aura about her.

She really was attractive. Even someone like Armin could see that. It made him wonder as to why she was living alone. Surely, there were men that courted her, he thought. Following the line of her hair with his pencil, adding life to his sketch with each stroke. If not men, then surely there was another woman, who'd caught her eyes.

Clicking his tongue at his bad, nosy, little habit, he paused his pencil. It really was none of his business. To be pondering over such things was rude. He should be slapped for it even crossing his mind.

“I think I will head off to bed,” She said quietly, snapping Armin out of his silent scolding.

“Oh, yes,” He said looking down at his sketches. “It is getting quite late.” Armin said, losing interest in his book. Mikasa simply smiled and moved over to his spot on the floor. She looked at his sketch, the smile on her face growing slightly at his messy sketches of the things and people he'd seen during the day.

"You're very good at that," She commented as he shyly closed his book.

"Ah, um, thank you. My partner taught me," He said feeling his cheeks burn in embarrassment.

It was unusual for him to let someone see his sketches. He didn't even show them to Jean willingly. The man had to practically steal his book to look at them when they're together.

"Are they for your story, too," She asked as Armin stood up from his spot.

"Yes. I like to put illustrations in my books," He said, despite the real reason being so he would have something to remember the town and his time on earth. His missions rarely take him to the same place twice so it's nice to have something to remember the places by. Either way, they were to help picture the time being told in his book.

"Please, refrain from leaving the cabin after dark. It's not safe, even with a gun." She said before quietly turning to head to her room. That left Armin mildly confused. He hadn't mentioned going out at night. And the human legend didn't say what time of day. It made him wonder but he would do as she asked for now. She had been very kind to him, after all.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "La Légende Du Village" means "The Legend Of The Village".


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Sorry about my Hiatus. I work full time now, so it's difficult to write. I get so tired and when I try to write I just don't feel that it is flowing well. So, I apologize about how long it is taking to update all my stories that are series. I haven't given up on this ship! I hope you enjoy this. The story will hopefully start to pick up after this. Thank you for enjoying my story. Love you guys!

# Bois caché

* * *

A week or so past as he got to know the village and its people. It was, as he had assumed, a very pleasant place with many pleasant people. Sure there were the ones that he could hear whispering rumors to each other about his appearance in the village. It was something that he could not help. His appearance here would be seen as sudden and suspicious. Curious, even, considering the number of rumors about the beast and the reward that was on it's head. Still, every new face would ask him about why he was at the village and every time he had to tell them he was simply a storyteller, wanting to write a story about the great beast that lurked in their woods. This would lead to some scoffs or insult, but others would laugh and tell him the same story.

A story of the great war between Hell's Minions and Heaven's Angels. That their war came to this land a tore a great divide between the people and the state. Then one day, when the village seemed to be doomed to damnation a being far beyond the village ancestors imagination appeared and gave them salvation. A great beast with a human like figure vanquished the foes of the village, protecting it from those who wished to cause it harm. It was a guardian, a symbol of unity, they would say it was not a real being. That the beast was a symbol of humanities will to fight. Almost everyone in the village seemed to believe strongly in the beast did not exist as a real being, if they did, it would have passed on years ago. No one had any solid evidence that such a being existed though.

Belief and fact were two different thing. Belief could be seen as fact, but if it was not proven, then how could one know the truth. That is what Armin thought. If the beast did exist then there had to be proof that it did exist, other than hearsay. Though, if he tried to counter with this arguments the villagers would sneer at him asking him how he could be a fiction author and not even attempt to believe them. Of course, he would respond with a variant of-He was a storyteller and what is a story teller, if they do not gather up materials for their story? If they have no basis for the plot lines then the story just blathers on and on, never getting any closer to the goal and conclusion. There for, if he does not create an argument to gather material for both sides of the story, the belief and the fact, he couldn't write a proper story.

This would lead to them staring at him like he didn't understand anything about telling a good story and excuse themselves. Some would humor him and create a discussion; even seeming to enjoy the conversation. Others would scold him and tell him that he should find a different place to write about, leaving him to ponder the information once again. It had become a tiresome routine. One that he had slowly turned away from, in favor of searching the forest for any sort of clues. If there was no 'beast', or if there was, then the evidence would be out there. For the past couple of days, he had set out looking for the locations in which the last few bodies, mentioned in the report. With Mikasa's help he had searched a good portion of the woods, though, with little luck.

Even now, a little over a week later, he was still where he had started. It didn't help that the forest seemed to be endless. He'd spent the last four hours searching for the location of the last body. Though, without a guide he was feeling a bit lost. Sure, he was using a compass and a map, but it was as though the woods themselves were changing. It was a very curious thing, part of him even wondered if this was why Mikasa has adamantly told him not to wander in the woods alone. A statement which he chose to ignore the moment she had left her cottage that morning. She had told him that she had to travel to the neighboring town and wouldn't be returning till tomorrow, so he took liberty to go off and explore the woods.

It was a nice day for it as well. The air had warmed up quite nicely, much different than the past couple of days, where their seemed to be an unwelcome chill in the air. It was perfect for a long walk in the woods, sadly, that is all his trip was seemingly turning out to be.

Just a bit further, He told himself as he wrote down some notes about the trip. It wasn't until he felt a great force hit him and throw him backwards did he look up. Only there was nothing in front of him, nor behind him, not even a trail or pathway. He unintentionally wandered off of the path and into the woods, but it wasn't like he'd ran into something. There wasn't a bush or a tree in the way, so why had he flew backwards like that. It peeked his curiosity enough for him to move forward cautiously holding out a hand. After a few small steps he felt a jolt of pain shock his finger tips. Jerking his hand away, he backed up with wide eyes.

“Ah, a barrier?” He said rubbing the pain from his fingers. He hadn't expected such a thing so far out in the woods. It flung him away like a horse would swat a fly. A barrier with that sort of strength, one to push away someone like him, would take someone from Paradis. “Where did you come from,” He said even more curious than he was before. It was possibly a clue, a wondrous and magical clue that might shed some light on his mission.

Running his fingers across the edge of the boarder, he whispered a spell that reveals other spells and words that were used to create the barrier danced before his eyes. It was rare for a barrier to be created using words in this day and age, but it was always what Armin started with, when investigating such things. To his surprise, though, it was a complex, intricate sort of spell that would have taken days, maybe even years, to cast to this set of perfection. There were layer upon layer inside the barrier. Each one more fascinating and detailed that the one prior. He'd never seen such a well crafted barrier.

“What the-” The deepest layer was a strange sort of writing, a language that he was unfamiliar with and it seemed to be a ruin styled language. The symbols were beautifully crafted, meticulously in each stroke. “Ouch.” He was so focused on the writing and he hadn't been paying attention to his fingers until a sharp pain jolted through his hand. He ripped his hand a way from the barrier letting the spell melt back into it's invisible state. To his surprise the tips of his fingers were bright red, blistering, as though he'd stuck them into the burning flames of a kiln.

That was a unique defense, He thought wincing at his injuries that would need immediate attending to. Grimacing at the thought of giving up for the day, he simply It was obvious to him that he would have to be careful, but, it made him wonder as to what they were keeping in and why was it keeping him out.

He turned to leave, he needed to take care of his hand as quickly as possible. It was until he went to take a step forward did he hear a voice.

 _Don't leave!_ With a sudden grasp on his shoulders he felt himself getting pulled backwards. He let out a yelp of surprise as he found himself flat on the ground, staring up at the blue sky. There was a clear sound of someone running away quickly but Armin's reflexes were not fast enough. By the time he rolled over to look to see what it was, there was nothing but the woods.

What was that, He thought with a panicked mind as he looked around the space he was in. The scene in front of him looked completely different than it had when he was on the other side of the barrier. Trees were down, broken or uprooted by what looked like a great force. “This cannot be good,” He muttered under his breath as he readjusted his satchel and stood up. Wincing at his hand, he decided that he would find out how to get out of there once his hand was taken care of.

The first thing he did was find a water source to cool the burns. It wasn't big of a threat to him as it would be to a normal human, but it was still not wise to leave such an injury untreated. For one, infections and diseases were still able to occur in his kind. It didn't matter if he was an angel. So, keeping them clean and bandaged was the only option he could to at the moment since he did not specialize in medical practices. The least he could do though was bandage himself and wait for it to heal on it's own. Once the injury was tended to he wandered in the woods beyond the barrier with little that impressed him. It was just trees and what seemed like a cliff in the distance that he'd yet to check out. Though, this place was inside of a barrier, so there had to be something in here. Or at least he hoped there was.

If not, then what had happened to the trees along the barriers edge. What had ripped them out of the ground? Nothing of nature could possibly do such a thing, not without the area around it being damaged. With that in his thoughts he began walking along the barriers edge, planning on seeing just how large the area was. It was hours later and several updates in his book, when he caught site of a familiar looking path.

“Ah, this is-” He muttered realizing that the path he saw through the barrier was the same path he and Mikasa had traveled on his first day in the village. It was a fascinating discovery, he thought as he reached out and touched the barrier, showing the spell used once more. He still inside to his surprise. It reached out this far, he thought drawing in the barrier into the map he had been creating in his book. So, far, it seemed to be a safe distance away from the village but it was close enough to a highly traveled path. If someone accidentally wandered off the path, it would be easy for them to be lost within the barrier and to be attacked by a wild animal. Was that all there was to it though?

He decided to write down his theory in the book before continuing onward.

“Such an expansive area. Just how big is this territory,” He said, with a sigh, surprised to have come across a familiar area, despite the fact he'd been miles up from this very location when he'd first entered. Writing down several theories of what the purpose would be for such an expansive barrier, he sat under a tree. It was still a particularly cool day, comfortably so, as he noticed a petal floating down and landing on his page. It was going to start getting warmer soon, He thought smiling at the petal before gently brushing it away. The warm weather in the human territory was always the best. There was so much life and everything seemed to be in it's prime.

He quickly finished up his writings before leaning back to enjoy the sun that filtered through the leaves. It was extremely relaxing but at the same time it reminded him of all the time he'd spent in the woods of Paradis. Back before the days Jean had come into the picture, he had been most of his days spent in the woods. Most of the time, it was for exploring, other times it was to collect materials for his charms. It had been happier days for all of Paradis back then. Before the wars and all the rules that were put in place about coupling.

He hadn't been alone then, even if he'd yet to meet Jean. There had been a very precious friend, which had always followed him on his adventures and drag him on some of their own. They'd always been together back then, exploring the vast landscape that surrounded the village. Even spending the dog days of summer lounging along the river bed telling each other outlandish stories that were out right lies. It never mattered to them. They were stories to amuse themselves and nothing more.

It was painful to think of those moment.

“Armin.” A voice called out to him, startling him from thoughts. It took him a moment to realize that it was Jean's voice that he'd heard and he pulled out the mirror. When he looked into it the mirror showed his reflection, but it quickly dissolved, changing into Jean's face.

“Hey there, Love,” He said with a small smile.

“Hey,” Armin responded, feeling happy to see Jean. It had been a few days since they'd last seen spoken to each other and just the site of his lover's face helped ease the sad memories that had threatened to crawl into the back of his mind. Jean himself looked a bit worse for wear today.

“How're you? You look tired.” A soft smile danced across Jean's face as he scratched the back of his head.

“I was working to on a project for a customer and was up all night. Nothing new. Tell me about your week so far,” He said, quickly trying to switch the topic around. Armin knew he usually “Anything new? Anything I can look into for you?”

“Not really. I was able to leave the cabin on my own today,” Armin said, smiling at Jean's attempt to switch to subject. He let him do so, only because he understood why. The more they talked about Paradis and everyday things, the more they would miss each other.

“That woman finally is trusting you?” It was a joke as he told Jean about how Mikasa had always insisted on escorting him on walks through the woods and when he was investigating in the town.

“Hardly,” Armin said, with a slight chuckle as he recalled her asking him to stay in town while she was gone because she worried he would get lost. “She had to travel to the next town,” He explained knowing that she was a good person and was just worried about him. It didn't change that with her following him around it made it hard to answer Jean when he called or if he wanted to contact Jean. “So, it'll be safe to talk with you for a while,” He said giving Jean a playful smile causing his lover to grin. “What are you doing out on your own then? Getting lost?”

“No, I am following a little lead. A barrier, I found, high quality and outlandishly located.” Armin said, opening his book to show Jean the map he'd been working on.

“Seriously,” Jean said, sounding interested as he studied the map. “What kind of barrier?”

“It was a 'very' well done one. I couldn't remove it at all. It seems to be some sort of ancient spell-” He said shifting to turn the page with his bandaged hand.

“God, your hand,” Jean said causing Armin to flinch. It was a mistake to show it to Jean, now he was going to worry about him. That wasn't what he wanted to do. “What happened?”

“It's okay, only temporary, I tried to force my way into the barrier and it rejected me, but I eventually got in,” Armin said, softly smiling reassuringly to convince Jean that he was fine.

“You shouldn't have done that. What if it did something to you, you fucking idiot!” His words came out harsher than he intended and the look on his face had shown that he'd realized it as well. “Just-don't do anything else that's so reckless.” He said shaking his head.

“When do I ever do anything 'reckless',” Armin said, teasing Jean just so the other knew he wasn't upset about being scolded or swore at.

“You take it to chance, far too often,” Jean retorted a scowl on his face and Armin could tell that it wasn't what he wanted to hear. “You're the only one down there, Armin. If you get severely hurt, there's no one to help you out. So, don't-”

“I get it. I'm sorry-I worry you,” He said smiling weakly, feeling a bit upset that Jean was upset with him.

It wasn't the first time he'd gotten hurt on a mission. So, it wouldn't be surprising that this first solo mission was putting Jean on edge. It was something all soldiers of Paradis feared. So, it would be natural for Jean to be so angry. After all, it only took one mistake, that's all it had taken to kill his parents and his friends. He was no different than they were. It was important that he tread cautiously, even if it was only to make it so Jean wouldn't be upset with him for injuring himself.

“Oh, hey, take a look at these ruins. They were written within the spell,” He said turning the page to show Jean the writing he'd copied down from the spell. “What's your take on them?” He hoped that this would be a way to turn the subject away from his own recklessness before they'd leave each other feeling hurt.

“That's-really old Paradis magic,” Jean said, obviously wanting to yell at him for trying to change the subject, but when he saw the symbols he stopped.

“Is it?” It wasn't a language that he was familiar with but Jean was well on his way to getting Archangel ranking, so he probably had more knowledge about such things.

“I only got to see it once-But-I'm pretty sure.” He leaned closer to his mirror studying the writing Armin had copied down on his book. “Shit, why is there a barrier with that sort of writing in the human realm,” He said with a furrowed brow as he covered his mouth in thought. “You said it was well made, too?” Armin nodded when Jean looked at him for confirmation.

The gears in his brain were turning, obvious by the way his eyes flickered over the paper and taunt muscles of his shoulders. He was probably the best at seeing a situation in a whole. That was what made him such a great solider and what made him so perfect at his job. His missions were usually more high stake than Armin's, give or take a few missions that they'd either shared or were underestimated. Armin hoped that this one was not one of those missions. He hadn't brought anything beside a human rifle. The worse he could to with that was kill a mortal being. There was a small chance that it would be helpful but he doubted that.

“I hope to find out who made it and why,” Armin said, hoping to snap Jean out of his thoughts. The man blinked before the tension was gone in his shoulders.

“Right, you were always good at figuring things out by yourself,” He said, still obviously thinking about the writing. Armin simply smiled back, knowing that Jean was distracted or he wouldn't have praised him at the moment. “Still, it's not normal. I can-Shit-Someone just entered the shop, I gotta go. I love you! Bye,” Jean said quickly ending the spell that briefly connected them.

“I love you, too,” He said, staring at his own reflection with a bit of disappointment.

Jean had been in their shop, while contacting him. Jean's hobby was crafting objects, creating sculptures, mirror, weapons, anything that was requested he would create and if it was asked of him Armin would help making it a charmed object. Though, Jean was perfectly capable of doing such things himself.

The two of them had opened a shop up together, as a hobby between missions. They created charms and charmed items for use on missions. Archangels were their usual customers and exchanged wonderful and high quality resources for the products made. It was a nice way to spend their time, when they were on missions and it let them spend time together with out the curious eyes looking toward them. The thoughts of the shop and Jean made him want to continue on, the hopes of wrapping this mission up, now that he found this new lead, just a bit closer.

And he thinks I take risks, Armin thought shaking his head wondering why his lover was being so careless. Still, Jean had created a good theory in his mind.

The ruins were from Paradis, which meant the spell could be as well. It gave him something to ponder as he stood back up to continue exploring. The sun would set soon, though, and he would have to return before it got dark out. It was not the best idea to wander around unfamiliar territory in the dark. Especially, under the circumstances. After deciding to return, he traced his steps back to the path that he'd seen earlier. Once back at the path he quietly crossed the barrier with the intentions of returning to Mikasa's cabin.

_Please, come back..._

He paused at the sound of a voice, turning to look around the area. He did not see or sense anyone, so he figured that it was his own mind not wanting to leave. It wasn't like he couldn't come back tomorrow and continue his expedition.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Bois Caché" means 'Hidden Woods'.


	5. Chapter 5

# Secrets Da La Forêt

* * *

The night passed with relative ease and, at the crack of dawn, Armin prepared himself to return to the barrier. Though, he wasn't sure how long he could be out. The clouds in the sky were dark and hanging low, getting ready to rain down upon them, so, he didn't have much time. It would make hiking in the woods extremely difficult and make it easier for him to lose his way, so, he had to be back before the rain started to fall or find a shelter.

The night before he marked the distance he wanted to travel inside of the forest, planning his day out carefully so not a single moment could be wasted. There was just too much land to cover it could take weeks to do and he wanted to investigate the barrier as well. There was just something off about it. The language that he'd seen had been of Paradis, but he'd never once laid eyes on it. Could it have been a dead language? One that only the highest ranked angels knew, or was it simply something that the older generations knew and the younger ones, like himself, were not ready to learn it. Either way, it being in the forest of a human village wasn't good.

So, he had to find the source location and then figure out where the barrier originated from, which would hopefully be the center of the closed off space. It had taken about three hours and he only gotten about five miles around the barrier, yesterday, but with that knowledge he concluded that this barrier was almost circular in nature. Still he could not be completely sure, since he'd only gone such a short distance.

Still, with that knowledge it gave him a general idea of the total area, which would make it less likely to accidentally run into the barrier again, while exploring the inside. This place was hopefully the key to unlocking the information he needed in order to go home. He just had to find it.

The situation kept repeating in his head, over and over, one thought leading to another; leading the first. Rambling on and on about his mission, the barrier, and what needed to be done. It was hard to keep it all straight, so he tried to keep it all straight. He only had this day and then Mikasa would return, leaving him with her following him around again. He did not wish for her to discover this barrier, or-god forbid-get hurt by it. So, he would have to sneak away from her cabin, in the early mornings and return late, if he wished to do this research alone. The reason for this barrier and the fact it was so close to her home, worried him as his thoughts veered towards Mikasa.

If she lived so close, did she know about the barrier? Or did she just avoid the woods at all costs? She had always mentioned to him that she did not like going into the woods alone, that it was dangerous because of the wolves and bears. But, could it have been because she 'couldn't' enter the woods?

He clicked his tongue, silently scolding himself. Just because he got a strange vibe from the woman did not mean she had anything to do with the barrier or even his mission. She was just a friendly, if not particularly lonely village girl, who opened her doors to him. He should be grateful that he's not forced to sleep outside during this mission.

He continued to scold himself as he stepped through the barrier, exhaling as he did so. There was a part of him that had expected to be thrown backwards like yesterday, but, to his surprise, his hand went through and he felt a slight tugging sensation as though, it wanted to pull him into the closed off area. The area around him was just as it was yesterday, bird sung their songs and animals moved about as though he weren't there. If he wasn't already aware of it, he wouldn't believe he'd even gone into a closed off area. It made him wonder once again just what was the purpose of the barrier. It wasn't like he would find out by 'wondering', though so he spoke the spell he recited the day before, running his hand along the barrier. He watched as the spell began to dance in front of him again and studied the words that he could understand, writing down any notes about it.

An hour or so passed as he studied the spell. He wanted to make himself familiar with it, in hopes to understand why it was cast in the first place. What was it's secrets, how long had it been here? He wanted to see it all. It was supposedly an ancient spell, after all, it was a rare chance and one he, as an enthusiast, didn't want to pass up. It was common knowledge that such knowledge has not been accessible to everyone in Paradis since the Great War. It all having been under the watchful eyes of the Saints. To have this chance was an honor, though he didn't want to spend too much time on it. It wasn't his goal to lower the barrier, unless he absolutely needed to.

Once his predetermined time was up, he was relieved that his hand didn't seem to be as damaged as the prior day. It apparently had not seen him as a danger and let him look without damage. It was a relief to say the least. Jean would not be mad at him because he was sticking his hands in places they didn't belong, again.

“Thank you for letting me see you, again, today,” He said, standing from his spot on the ground. “You're a very beautiful spell,” He said slipping his notes back into his bag. “I'd love to learn more about you.” He added this as he pulled a few strands of hair back behind his ear, making sure he didn't forget anything. “I have to go now, though, have a good day,” He said, examining the sky. It looked like he had a few more hours before the storm hit, so he turned and headed off into the barrier, hoping to find some more valuable information. He then set off into the woods, following his compass east, hoping not to get lost.

The further he got into the woods, though, the rougher the terrain seemed to get. It was obvious he was getting closer to the cliff side he'd seen in the distance on his first arrival, but where exactly he'd end up in this area was beyond him. That's when he found himself facing a sloped area that seemed to lead toward several large rock formations. It looked like there was a cave at the bottom of the slope, but Armin couldn't sense any signs of a living being down there, so he really didn't want to go down there, just to get dirty with no payout. On the other hand, the terrain ahead of him was really rocky and would be time consuming to climb. It would be much easier to fly over them, but he didn't want to risk anyone seeing him with his wings out. He began to look around for an easier route toward the cliff, when he stepped on a rock wrong causing him to slip off the path and down the slope. An embarrassing yelp had escaped his lips as he hit the slope and rolled down it to the opening of the cave.

“That really hurt,” He groaned, feeling pain emanating from his head and his previously injured hand.

Forcing himself to sit up, he cupped his aching head, pressing his burnt hand against his chest. It took a few moments for the pain to subside, but once it did he realized some of his things had scattered from his satchel that had opened in the tumble. Even the mirror and communicator had tumbled out. He quickly grabbed the mirror that was lying beside the bag, in a panic. There was a small crack in bottom of the frame but other than that, the glass itself was, thankfully, undamaged. He could repair the frame and it would still function, but the glass was the enchanted part and the mirrors power would be lost if it so much as cracked.

"Thank God," He muttered , praising his master for not punishing him with complete separation from Jean.

Once the mirror was back inside his bag, he carefully began to pick up all his charms and materials that had fallen out of his bag, examining the charm materials to make sure they hadn't been contaminated. It was a process and several things had items had been rendered useless, but luckily he'd left a majority of it at Mikasa's hidden in a chest she'd provided for him. He could purify the ruin and make it work later, but it still was a depressing site. All his loose-leaf notes had blown all over the space in front of him. As he began to pick them up, there was a low rumble of in the distance causing Armin to curse under his breath and pick up his things faster.

If would be really sad if they got wet, so he had to hurry before the rain began to fall. The closer he got the the cave, though, the more he felt a bad aura about the area. The air seemed to be tittering with excitement around him as an unsettled feeling of being watched rested on his shoulders. There seemed to be something watching him. It was hard to tell what it was, though. So, Armin continued to pick up his papers, being very aware on his surroundings and the cave itself. The darkness made him feeling like something would reach out and grab him. Why he couldn't say. The feeling didn't seem to be coming from the cave, but the feeling of anxiety continued to grow the longer he stayed there. The sky was growing darker and the rain would soon begin to fall. He did not have time to be curious and investigate the cave as the storm seemed to move faster than he anticipated.

Soon all he had was a few papers at the mouth of the cave left. He'd avoided them because of the feel of unease, but they were a couple of his notes for the barrier, so he couldn't leave them. Stepping toward the mouth of the cave he started picking up the papers, hands trembling for some reason. He just kept telling himself that there was nothing in the cave. There was no reason for him to be so anxious, but he was. He picked up the last few pages swiftly before tucking them back into his bag, to be organized later. Just as he as about to stand and leave he felt warm air hit him in the face. Confused, he looked up and saw a bear standing in the mouth of the cave, just outside of his peripheral vision. It left him a bit awe-struck as he did enjoy seeing the wildlife of this world up close, but as it raised it's upper lip and growled at him that feeling quickly left. He was out of there in an instant, wings spread wide as he took a running start, catching the air as quickly as possible to get himself up in the air.

To have run away from a bear, he thought to himself, feeling like a fool for bolting away like he did. He was embarrassed to think that he was so anxious over such a harmless creature, but at the same time. He was curious. Had it been a bear that was watching him? If so, why did he not sense that it had been an animal? Why did it not warn him before he got so close? Why did it just snort at him and bare it's teeth? So many thoughts were racing in his mind just as his heart did in his chest. Rolling on to his back, gliding on his wings, he tried to calm himself. It did not matter if he could sense a bear or not. He wasn't 'all-knowing', so it was okay. He didn't have to be embarrassed, he told himself, knowing that no one would know. He didn't have to worry about the bear either as they were normal for this part of this world.

The sky lit up again, this time all around him causing him to cringe at the static in the air. He hated flying during thunder storms, hated to get his wings wet, but the clouds made for good cover, if anyone seemed to be wandering around the woods. He could fly at his leisure for the moment. The only problem would be the chance of getting struck by lighting was quite high. That was not something on his list of things to do during this particular mission, but the storm still seemed to be a ways away, so he could at least get himself to the edge of the barrier before it started to rain. Just as he moved to loop around and return to the barrier's edge, his eyes caught something out of place in the distance.

A strange shape that was not organic in nature and seemed to be man made stood in a small opening off in the distance. The closer he got, the clearer it became that it was a castle-like structure, but it was much too small to be a castle. It was a strange thing to find all the way out here, though. No other buildings or structures were out in this area, so, why was this particular building still standing.

It drew out his curiosity. Why would there be a building in the middle of the woods? It was out of place and before Armin even realized it, he was landing in the overgrown field, looking at the manor ahead of him. It was obvious that this place was abandoned, most of the windows were broken out and there seemed to be structural damage on the west wing. The closer he got the more damage he could see to the Baroque-esque structure of the building. The high archway of the door was was bowed from years without maintenance, liable to collapse if it weren't for the tall stone pillars, which were cracked and worn from the elements and weight pressing down upon it. In it's hay day, it would have been a very beautiful place. A true show of human craftsmanship.

There was no door in the entrance way, it seemed it had long since been dissolved by time. Above the doorway there was what looked like a family crest, smashed to an unrecognizable state with the worn words 'DOMUS DEI PORTA CAELI' carved into the top of the archway just below the crest. It was a language that Armin was not familiar with but the placement of the words intrigued him. It was unusual for homes to have writing over their doorways in human cultures. Normally, this was saved for places of worship, libraries, or galas, but this place had clearly been a place of residence. For it to be there, he wondered if they were holy folk, or maybe it was once a place where nobility resided.

There was another rumble in the distance as random drops began to fall from the sky. He looked up at the sky confused because he'd gauged the weather just moments before. The rain started pouring down as he stepped into the landing, looking at the eerie hall way beyond the entrance.

Something wanted him to come here, He thought as he looked at the door frame with no door attached. If not, then he'd suddenly gotten bad at seeing what sort of weather he'd be experiencing. It was no one's fault but his own. He could have gone straight back to the edge of the barrier, but he was curious about the manor. It was quite dark, the dark clouds outside making it darker than it normally would be in the daytime. After the run in with the bear, he was wary of entering dark places with out a light source, so he quickly opened his bag, pulling out a wooden box.

“Better to be safe, than sorry,” He muttered, opening up the box and rifling around in it before pulling a chain-like charm out.

It was a simple thing, looking more like a decoration than a charm. It was made with a six simple wound ropes he hand crafted with protective spells and six brightly colored glass stones that he found on the beaches of Paradis. They sparkled in the sunlight and shined bright in the darkest of places. When you stood on the beaches at night they lit up the sands and waters with their magical glows. They are a rare mineral and energy source only found in abundance on Paradis. It wasn't a very complex charm, like the ones he would trade for goods in his shops, but it still had the same power. It protected it's possessor from evil and lit the way from them when they needed it. It was one of the many charms he brought with him for his mission.

“Light my way.” He whispered those word after he placed the box back inside his bag. With a quick glance up at the sky, he stepped into the Manor, letting the charm light the area around him.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Secrets Da La Forêt means "Secret of the forest"


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Manoir Perdu means "Lost Manor". Lame title, I know. Lol.

# Manoir Perdu

* * *

It was much darker in the building than he imagined. The small charm barely lit his way as he walked down the darkened halls. From what he could see, however, it was obviously in disrepair. The walls were smashed, gaping holes showing into other rooms, while other halls had been blocked off by the upper floors caving in. Strange slash-like marks were carved deep into the papered walls, like a monster had come through. It stood out over the worn down look of time passing by. Even made one wonder what took place here. Making a mental note to ask the villagers about the manor, he imagined the beauty that it had once shown. It surely had to of been a warm and welcoming place, filled will lovely painting and pretty colors. The complete opposite of how it was now.

Lonely and sad, He thought, stopping to look at a painting that was sitting against the wall, all but rotting away. “A royal seal,” He quietly said, reaching out and gently wiping the dust away from the surface.

It seemed to have been a portrait of a particularly large family. Behind them, he could faintly make out a golden symbol that resembled a royal seal of this country behind them. This only added to Armin's curiosity about the place. Had a part of the royal family called this place 'home'? Why so far away from the village? Why was it abandoned. So, many thoughts popped into his mind as he studied the murky painting with a curious stare. It wasn't until he felt as though something touched the back of his neck that he snapped out of his thoughts completely. Jumping up from his crouched position he looked around the darkened area. He was sure it felt like a hand brushing against his skin, but he was completely alone.

Just a spider, probably, he thought, ignoring the goosebumps crawling across his skin and turning his gaze back down the hall he'd been wandering in.

There were only one set of doors at the end of the hall left for him to check out. There hadn't been too many places he could explore, most of them had been either sealed shut by debris or empty, save for a few rotten pieces of furniture. There had been nothing of interest, nothing of value, to add to his investigation. Just an abandoned building.

With that thought in mind he began walking toward the doors at the end of the hall, he figured that these would be the last doors he went to, before he went back to the entrance. It was dangerous to be wandering around a building that could collapse on his head at any given moment. If his boyfriend found out, that's exactly what he was doing, he'd probably get an earful. Still, it was stable enough to open all those doors without collapse, so it was stable enough.

Even the doors, at the end of the hall, seemed to be just as sturdy. From what he could tell they were made from oak. The closer he got, the more he wondered where the doors would lead. Usually, in places like this, they would lead to an office of an important person. Or they would lead to some throne room-like place. Holding this light up to the door he could see an elegant carving on the door. He couldn't quite make out what it was of, in the dim blue light, but it looked a bit like a nature scene. Reaching out to brush the dust away from the knob, it turned almost like someone was on the other side. He jerked backwards as the doors fell forward, falling away from him. They hit the ground with a loud bang, the sound echoed around him, causing Armin to cringe.

There was no one on the other side, though. He even stepped into the room to check under the doors. Not a single sign as to how the handle had turned without him doing so. After taking a moment to ponder what happened, he decided he'd imagined it. It wasn't worth spooking himself over. Instead he turned to the vast room that he'd entered.

It was breathtaking. The ceiling had to be three stories up, rising high in a dome like shape. The ceiling looked as though they'd been painted, most of it had withered away, making it impossible to tell what it had been of, but it still impressed him. The floors looked to be marble and the eroded pillars granite. It was like a grand cathedral or a ball room. Misshapen statues hung from the wall, staring down at him with strange faces.

“It's huge in here,” He muttered to himself, admiring the space, noting there seemed to be a second floor for viewing the area above. The railing missing in a few places and long tattered curtains hung from others. There wasn't much to see, though, if you looked past the statues and architecture. It was just a big empty room.

Glancing back toward the large opening, he could see water just pouring off the wall. The forest just outside of the field had an ominous haze, adding in how dark the forest looked, he was glad he hadn't decided to go back during the storm. Even if he tried to fly back, it would have been hard to see in the down pour. Getting lost in the woods was not a good plan. There were things worse than the animals in this world. He did not want a run in with them, not while he was alone. The mere thought make him readjust the strap of his shotgun as he walked toward a drier spot in the room.

It would be a better place to wait for the storm to pass than the entrance, he decided, wanting to add the manor to his map. He made his way toward the hole, planning to find a dry spot with good lighting, so he could work on his map. As he moved forward, his steps began to crunched under his feet, causing him to look down at the soaked floors. Thousands of glittering shard were splayed across it. They were an array of colors, but barely noticeable, glittering in the dim light of his charm and the light outside. His gaze turned back to the open space in the wall and figured that it must have once been a stained glass window. It was the first thought that came to mind, he didn't really have any evidence that it was, nor did he care if it was. The window was just a passing thought as he took careful steps not to slip and fall onto the glass.

Once he found a dry enough spot to lay his map out on, he began to work on putting the manor onto it. It was a good landmark and could be used as an emergency shelter, if a repeat of today happened. With how his investigation was going, he felt that there would definitely be a repeat. Even if staying in the manor was less than ideal. Once he was done with the additions, he looked at the map with a serious expression.

He'd started the map to try and figure out the barrier's size, but the length of the barrier stretched for miles and seemed to keep going. It had to be connected to the deaths. To the 'Monster' that plagued this village. A gut feeling told him that if he kept looking into the barrier and its' origin that he would get more information. Even if it hadn't given him any yet, there was just something strange about it.

A noise caught his attention. With a quick glance around the area, he caught sight of something moving up on the upper level above him. It looked like there was a snake crawling across the balcony.

“Okay, big snake,” He said, feeling really uncomfortable at the size. First he ran into a bear that he couldn't sense, now a snake that looked a good five feet long. He wondered if his senses were off because of how distracted he was. Turning back to his map, he began folding it back up. It was time to leave, even if it was still raining.

It wasn't that he hated snakes. He just didn't like when they were about the same height as him and could strangle him, if it wanted to. So, he wanted to get as far away from that thing as possible. Getting wet be damned.

“Shit.” Cussing under his breath, as he hit the wet ground. It was just his luck that he would slip and fall because he was afraid of a snake. He shakily stood up, turning to climb over the rubble to go out through the hole. When he saw something coming out of the woods.

It was huge. Far larger than the bear he'd seen. It was crawling on all fours like an animal as it exited the woods, but then it stood up and Armin gasped. It looked human, but it was way too big to be one. It was walking toward the manor. Moving far faster than Armin could possibly run, Armin knew he wouldn't make it to the other side of the room before it reached the manor. He would surely be spotted, so decided it would be better to hide. In a rush, he moved back to a corner of the room by the opening, hiding in the shadows behind the rubble. Just as he took his spot, he saw the giant crawl into the building through the opening.

At the site of the giant, he felt familiarity wash over him. It was the one he'd seen on his first day here. The creature that had laughed over the fact he'd tripped over his feet, while walking with Mikasa. The one he'd sensed while in the village. The more he studied it, the more he realized that it was much different than the giants he was used to. The way it was missing flesh on it's face made it seem like it was grinning. Armin wondered how his jaw stayed connected, because of that, but kept silence as he studied the muscular body, that was far different than the flabby ones of others he'd witness.

That only meant it was more dangerous, Armin reminded himself. Continuing to watch the creature climb into the room, he made sure to make no noise beyond his breathing. It wouldn't do any good to get caught. It usually took a whole squadron to take down one of these creatures. He was hardly fit to take down a fairy alone. The last thing he wanted was to try to fight it. Though, it didn't seem to be there for a fight. All it was doing was standing there, dripping wet, looking around the area for something. It's eyes stopped at the doors, Armin had knocked down.

A huff of steam escaping its lips as it walked over to the doors. It kept moving as though it were looking for something, looking up at the riser and down at the dark spots on the ground. Armin hoped he didn't look where he was, while watching the giant put the doors back into place. He then turned back around to look at the opening, like it was contemplating something. Armin had to wonder what it was thinking, considering giants weren't the smartest creatures in the world.

The beast made a slight chirp-like noise, that Armin thought would have been cute, if it hadn't come from the thing in front of him. It moved back toward the opening, it's gaze fixated on something but Armin didn't dare move to see what it was. Reaching its hand out, it looked like it was trying to pick something up. After a few moments, it sat on the ground, letting out a triumphant grunt, holding it's hand over it's head. To Armin's shock, in its' hands was his light charm.

Armin's hand instantly went to his belt loop, where he'd stuck the charm. He felt the clasp, but no charm which made him gaze down at his waist band. Quickly realizing that it must had fallen off the clasp, when he'd fallen, he looked back at he beast to find it was looking right his way.

“Oh, no,” He breathed, feeling his entire body tense up, both hands on the gun, ready to fire, but his hands shook. He wasn't here to kill it. It moved closer to him on it's hands and knees, looking at him, like it couldn't really see him properly. It simply tilted its head, eyes widening as thought it finally saw him-saw his gun. It reached it's hands up, letting out a small noise. Armin was frozen in place.

It looked afraid, like it was afraid Armin would shoot it. Was it's hands up because it was going to attack or because it was trying to show Armin he wasn't a threat. It was obvious, Armin was letting his ability to sense others' emotions get in the way of his judgment, but he couldn't pull the trigger. The beast seemed to lower its' hands, like it could tell Armin wasn't going to hurt him. They just sat there, staring at each other, like they were waiting for the other to do something. Armin wanted to stand, wanted to use the gun to get the giant to let him go, but before either of them could make the next move, there was a noise above them. This caused the giant to turn it's gaze up just in time for a black snake to fall onto it's face.

Armin's heart about stopped. Partly because of the sound of the roar the beast made, but also because it was no snake. It was completely black with feathery scales. A long whip like tail that was wrapping around the creature's neck. A long beck with a snake like head, with glistening blue eyes that stood out from it's dark form.

“A dragon?” Armin's voice escaped him in complete shock because they were supposed to be extinct. There was no way it could be what Armin thought it was.

At the sound of his voice the dragon looked at him. It moved quickly off the giant, landing between Armin's legs, knocking the gun down with it's tail. It was staring at him with almost glowing eyes, like it was trying to say something. It even mouth opened, showing it's sharp fang like teeth, causing Armin to tense. A sound came from it's mouth that sounded like it was preparing to form a word, but before it could do anything, the beast grabbed the dragon and threw it out the opening. Roaring at the top of it's lungs at the opening the giant looked absolutely furious. It then looked back at Armin a expression that Armin couldn't quite understand. It moved forward, leaning in till it was inches away from Armin. In a panic, Armin grabbed his gun again.

“Stay away!” Armin said, loudly, doing the first thing that came to mind. Which was smacking the beast with the butt of the gun.

The giant flung his head back, both hand covering its face as it let out a howl. It was enough to have Armin on his feet and running toward the opening. Moving as fast as he could, he bolted toward the hole in the wall, hoping to make it outside so he could fly away. He made a leap out of the window, hoping to be able to catch enough air to take off. But-That didn't happen as he felt a pressure on his back causing him to fall to the ground, sliding him though the mud. Before he even realized what happened, he felt a weight pushing the air out of his lungs.

Forcing his head to turn, he looked up at the giant, that was towering over him. It's eyes wide, almost-fully blown pupils staring down at him. Every muscle in its body was tense. It was afraid-so was Armin. Fear made the situation a very dangerous game. One wrong move and it'd be over. He waited for it, knowing he couldn't get out of the grasp. The beast turned it's eyes up in front of them before letting out a roar that was pure anger. Armin glanced in the direction and saw a black figure streak into the forest and away form them.

Had it held him down because of the dragon?

Armin wondered if it was trying to protect him from the dragon, but if that was so, why pin him down in the mud. A small whimpering noise came out of the giant's mouth as the weight lessened. Taking a deep breath, finally able to breath properly, he silently thanked the stars. Now he had to think fast to get away from the giant before he changed its mind. His eyes traveled to his gun, which he'd dropped when he'd fallen. They seemed to notice that because the giant grabbed the gun, snapped it in half, and threw it off into the woods, like a stick. Armin brought his eyes back to the beast and it was staring at him again. Just watching him as Armin looked around, trying to figure out how to get away.

His mind was drawing a blank. His brain was in flight mode, not processing any thoughts, but his body was frozen in place. The thought of what would happen if he made a run for it was too much for his body and it shut down. His lips would move to cast a spell, his hands would reach out for something to protect himself with. All he could do was stare at the ground. Until he felt the beast hand brushing his wet hair out of his face. The scream that escaped his lips as he scrambled to back away seemed to stop the giant from moving any closer. Armin simply stayed where he was, watching in confusion-Too afraid to move.

It seemed shocked that Armin would scream at him. Then the feelings shifted to sadness as he looked at its' hands. When it looked back at him, there was anger clear in its' eyes. With that, Armin decided that it was his cue to take his leave. Before he could, however, the giant lurched forward and let out a vicious roar.

Armin was on his feet in an instant. Taking off into toward the woods, he could hear the giant let out another roar. There was no way Armin could out run it, but somehow he made it to the woods. He tried his hardest to move as fast as he could to get away, listening to any sound that would indicate that it was following him. There was not sound other than the rain falling and the harsh winds that shook the trees.

It's not following me, He thought glancing back behind him.

There was no giant in site and no evidence that he was being followed. That didn't mean he was going to stop running. All he needed to do was get back to the village and contact his superiors. With his goal in mind he ran through the blinding rain. It wasn't until he reached the path that would lead him back to Mikasa's cabin, did he feel himself get hit by a powerful force. This caused him to fly backwards and hit a tree. It took only a moment for his mind to register what happened, for that strange burning pain to consume his body. He'd hit the barrier. He quickly realized that as he tried to force air into his unwilling lungs. Blinking the black spots out of his eyes, he fought to get his arms and legs to cooperate with him, so he could get up.

It wasn't a good idea to fall unconscious. He had to get out of the forest and back to the village. He had to contact his superiors and request back up. Archangel Hanji would explode at the chance to see a dragon. Then there was the giant. Armin worried that it might have been the cause of the deaths. Or worse, the dragon did it. The thoughts were racing through his mind as he forced himself to breath. Forced himself to move. He could all but crawl toward the path that would lead him to the cabin before his vision failed and he found himself unconscious.

As he fell into the depth of his mind, he swore he felt something crawl over him and he caught a voice in the hellish winds say:

_I cannot let you leave._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey,  
> I am sorry about the hiatus. I got really depressed and wasn't able to write the stories for a long while.  
> I really love writing for this fandom. Ermin is my favorite ship and it doesn't get the love it used to have. I love reading all your guys' comments and I'm so happy that every seems to like my stories. I am going to try to update my stories more frequently, but I still am having problems. So, I apologize for my updates being infrequent.  
> I hope you enjoy this story, even if it's a bit poorly thrown together.  
> Thank you for reading my stories.  
> <3 Moonlitgems


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